A typical toilet 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, comprised of an upwardly open bowl 12 having an annular generally horizontal upper rim 14 and side walls 16 that converge downwardly from the underside thereof to a recessed bottom well 18. An outlet or trapway passage 20 from the bowl well 18 connects over an elevated weir dam 22 to an exit passage 24, for directing liquid/waste flow via an exterior drain line to a sewer, septic field or the like (none-being shown). A water storage tank 26 typically supported vertically above the bowl 12 provides flush water that can be discharged by gravity via appropriate internal routing passages (not shown) through outlet jets 28, 30 into the bowl 12. The jets 28 direct flush water through the bowl well 18 for priming flow of water/waste therein over the dam 22 and from the toilet via exit passage 24, and the jets 30 underlying the rim 14 direct flush water over the side walls 16 for rinsing them.
The dam 22 defines the maximum stable height (shown dotted along horizontal plane 32) that water can remain in the bowl before leaking over the dam and out the exit passage 24, which height might be 1-3 inches above the top opening of the well 18 and 4-8 inches below the bowl top 34. The trapway passage 20 extends somewhat as a cylindrical bore a short distance horizontally from the bowl well 18 before curving up and over the weir dam 22.
When the toilet is flushed, tank water flows into the bowl from both the jets 28 and 30, priming the water/waste in the well 18 to flow toward the weir dam 22 while the water level in the bowl 18 will rise above the weir dam 22, whereupon water/waste flow from the passage 24 will begin. This flow further can produce a siphoning action of the bowl well water/waste in flowing over the dam effective to substantially empty the bowl well 18 and the suction is broken. Continued flush water flow into the bowl from the jets 30 will rinse the bowl side walls 16 and refill the bowl 18 to the desired stable water level just below the weir plane 32.
The now demanded low consumption toilets can release less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush; whereby the passages 20, 24 have been made smaller in order to produce adequate velocities of discharging flow velocities. By way of example, some low consumption toilets have been sized for a 1 and xc2xd inch ball pass, meaning that the passages 20, 24 (approximately only xe2x85x9 inch larger) might be only 1 and ⅝ inch diameters. This might be contrasted against the older water saving toilets having 2 and xc2xd inch ball pass passages.
A common drawback to these low consumption toilets, with the small water flushing head and volume, and the small and bending water/waste flow passages, is that the flow passages 20, 24 frequently become clogged by solid toilet waste/paper to preclude proper water/waste drainage from the toilet. With the toilet clogged, the flushed bowl water/waste levels can rise close to or even flow over the bowl top 34 and onto the surrounding floor.
Toilet plungers are commercially available suited for breaking up minor clogs, each typically having a long shaft with a bell-shaped head mounted at one end thereof. Specifically, the bell-shaped head-is made of a liquid-impervious deformable elastic material (rubber or synthetic polymer) and is sized to surround and cover the well top opening with its lower edge seated against the bowl side walls. The plunger head thus is significantly larger laterally than the well top opening, or possibly 4-6 inch diameter laterally and almost the same size axially of the shaft. Moreover, the shaft typically is approximately 3 feet long, to be gripped and manipulated with sufficient leverage from vertically above the toilet bowl for deforming the plunger head and creating water pressure surges to act against the blocked water/waste in the passages. The plunger thus commonly is large, unattractive, and difficult to hide near the toilet where needed; so that frequently it is inconveniently stored away from the toilet.
A basic object of the invention is to provide a compact toilet plunger, having a shaft and head significantly smaller than conventional plungers, while yet effective when needed for clearing toilet clogs and for accommodating convenient and more attractive optional storage, such as in the bathroom, proximate its region of needed use.
A more detailed object of the invention is to provide a toilet plunger having a head sized to be fitted into the bowl well outlet or trapway passage, suited for establishing a sealed piston-like relationship therewith, whereby axial manipulation of the plunger head in bowl outlet trapway passage directly creates liquid surges and/or pressure variations within the passage suited to clear minor toilet clogs therein.